Catrike two wheeler?

[PaulM]

Took my first decent run on the Catbike today, it is fast and feels weightless, I have not got up to the no hands point yet but am riding clipless already, just need to remember to unclip at junctions as I do not do that on the trike. The seat is also very comfortable, it has the mesh type seat and velcro'd to that is a hd foam seat pad, the bike almost feels like it has suspension. The next couple of weeks see me all over the place so will not get to ride much but will start commuting by Musashi from about the 24th just to get used to 2 wheels again.

There are reports on BROL of minor chain slap/rub on the frame under the seat in two places on both sizes of the bike but perhaps more so on the smaller size. Worthwhile keeping an eye out for and possibly fitting protectors. I find it hard to believe, but worth checking.

Paul

 

[Riding in Circles]

Took my first decent run on the Catbike today, it is fast and feels weightless, I have not got up to the no hands point yet but am riding clipless already, just need to remember to unclip at junctions as I do not do that on the trike. The seat is also very comfortable, it has the mesh type seat and velcro'd to that is a hd foam seat pad, the bike almost feels like it has suspension. The next couple of weeks see me all over the place so will not get to ride much but will start commuting by Musashi from about the 24th just to get used to 2 wheels again.

There are reports on BROL of minor chain slap/rub on the frame under the seat in two places on both sizes of the bike but perhaps more so on the smaller size. Worthwhile keeping an eye out for and possibly fitting protectors. I find it hard to believe, but worth checking.

Paul

The chain does run very close on the return side, interestingly the power idler is on the outside, the return side of the chain passes through two idlers so is pretty well controlled, maybe some skin will be a good idea but time will tell.

 

[Riding in Circles]

Took the beast for some hill climbing today, very good indeed considering the tallish gearing, I think there is a hill on my 22 mile training circuit that may cause a problem but will have to confirm that at the end of the month, I am not 100% convinced by the bar end shifters in this config however, I think some flat bar trigger shifters may be better, so I will be trying some of them. Blisteringly fast down hill of course and on the flat, I am getting used to two wheels again but it feels very different from the trike.

 

[ianrauk]

Keep reporting Ian... one of those baby's is so on my radar.
Interesting what you say about the shifters as I was thinking the same when I originally ready the spec. With the type of handlebars it has I would have thought that flatbar shifters would be easier to use.

 

[Riding in Circles]

Keep reporting Ian... one of those baby's is so on my radar.
Interesting what you say about the shifters as I was thinking the same when I originally ready the spec. With the type of handlebars it has I would have thought that flatbar shifters would be easier to use.

At the moment I am finding the bar end shifters to be fiddly to use but I have not got the miles on the machine to say if this will always be the case, going up the gears is fine but going back to lower gears is when it does not feel right to me, the opposite for the front shifter. On the trike, bar end shifters are great, but handlebar orientation is completely different. The Musashi bars felt odd at first but now feel nice, brake feel is very good and the handlebars feel well placed, riding with one hand while getting the water bottle from the cage on the seat rail is fine, high speed corners are very secure if a little odd as I am leaning over unlike on the trike, low speed handling is good and getting better as I get more used to being back on two wheels, the bike looks superb in black. Neck rest is good as it is the same as the trike item, seatback pockets swallow a lot of stuff as well, I have to say that the seat is superb, it is very laid back as is expected from a race type machine but is supremely comfortable, it would be nice to see this seat design find it's way onto the trikes, they have nice seats as well but not as nice as this. I find starting off very easy, I even tried some uphill starts today and they were no issue, the weight really disappears on this bike, not that it is heavy anyway. It handles rough surfaces well and I am yet to hear any chain slap, it is possible that the front idler has been reduced in size to combat this, there is reasonable clearance between the seat rail and the return chain run. All in I am enjoying the bike immensely which is just as well as I cannot sell anything I would not be happy with myself, I can see this being a very popular bike.

 

[Riding in Circles]

OK, very fast 22 miler today although I suspect I will be suffering tomorrow as my bad knee feels weird at the moment, I did my 22 mile circuit, which has yielded a best trike time of 1hr and 12 minutes, for the first time on the Musashi, 59 minutes! It is not a flat circuit either, the bike feels weightless to ride, it is a strange feeling, while it does not have the same feeling of speed as the trike due to being higher it does feel more vulnerable probably due to the trike being so planted, I absolutely laid waste to a group of club riders who tried to keep up for about 5 miles before giving up and I did not even try to step it up a notch, just passed them and watched them in the mirror, hit 62mph on one down hill that sees 54mph on the trike, however where the trike bounces through the flat on the bottom the Musashi swooped though with the single track giving an easier avoidance of the undulations and those it did hit in no way unsettled the ride. The MWB configuration is really nice. I found myself once more hoping the seat design makes it over to future trikes.

 

[arallsopp]

hit 62mph on one down hill

Bloody hell. I find 50 a little scary. sixty bloody two? Man.

 

[ianrauk]

that bike is ripe for a descent down the other side of Ditchling or Devils Dyke..

 

[Fiona N]

I'll let you know when/if they resurface the A6 over Shap - I've hit 70mph (114kmph) on the descent into Borrowdale and that was with the poor surface. If they ever smoothed the tarmac, it would be phenomenal - good sightlines and an uphill runout mean you can really let go - just the small matter of the little chicane at the bottom to concentrate the mind too

Edit - forgot to say, this was on the Speedmachine

 

[Arch]

Bloody hell. I find 50 a little scary. sixty bloody two? Man.

Bloody, as you say, hell.

I thought my ears were going to come off at 37.5... (my fastest yet).

Indeed they sort of did, at 35 once - going down the hill into Burnby from the top of Nunburnholme hill (nice bit of road, even with gravel in the middle), my MP3 player earphones simply popped out, and flailed about behind me....

Now, Ian, stop it. I'm perfectly happy with the Dash, honestly I am. I don't need a 2 wheeler... No, I don't.

 

[ufkacbln]

Bloody, as you say, hell.

I thought my ears were going to come off at 37.5... (my fastest yet).

Indeed they sort of did, at 35 once - going down the hill into Burnby from the top of Nunburnholme hill (nice bit of road, even with gravel in the middle), my MP3 player earphones simply popped out, and flailed about behind me....

Now, Ian, stop it. I'm perfectly happy with the Dash, honestly I am. I don't need a 2 wheeler... No, I don't.

So if here was a small frame version that would be your (or your bank manager's) worst nightmare?

 

[Arch]

So if here was a small frame version that would be your (or your bank manager's) worst nightmare?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

<pokes own eyes out with handy pencil>

 

[ufkacbln]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

<pokes own eyes out with handy pencil>

Happy to be a right sod of help.

 

[ufkacbln]

Don't tell Ian I said this - but do a "Clarkson" (allegedly)

Get one for a review and then threaten a bad review unless they forget to ask for it back

 

[Riding in Circles]

Don't tell Ian I said this - but do a "Clarkson" (allegedly)

Get one for a review and then threaten a bad review unless they forget to ask for it back

I can see a flaw in where you are offering your advice.